DEEP: Bobcat that attacked Bozrah woman was rabid

The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said Tuesday that the bobcat apparently involved in an attack on a woman in Bozrah this weekend tested positive for rabies.

The attack occurred at about 7:30 p.m. Saturday on Stanton Hill Road, when a woman was attacked while in her yard, DEEP said in a news release. Her husband and two sons struck at the bobcat until it ran away. The woman, who was not identified, suffered scratches and bites and was taken to The William W. Backus Hospital for treatment, DEEP said. The woman's condition is unknown.

After the attack, DEEP Environmental Conservation police responded and searched for the bobcat until dark but were unable to locate it. They returned Sunday morning with a trained canine to continue the search, DEEP said.

At about 7 p.m. on Sunday, state police in Montville reported that a Lebanon family had an encounter with a bobcat, but the family was able to scare the animal away. No one was injured. The family lives near Norwich Avenue and Waterman Road. Others in the area also reported encounters with the bobcat on Sunday, DEEP said.

EnCon police were still in the area late Sunday. They located the bobcat on McGrath Lane in Lebanon and euthanized it. The animal was taken to the State Health Lab for rabies testing. The results were obtained today.

DEEP said it believes the bobcat euthanized Sunday is the same one that attacked the woman in Bozrah.

The agency said bobcats are common throughout the state. They are secretive, solitary and seldom observed, tending to hunt and travel in areas of thick cover. They rarely cause conflicts with humans and rarely contract rabies, DEEP said. For more information, visit www.ct.gov/deep/bobcatfacts.